THE COLLEGES : Titans Find They’re Trapped in Cornhusker Country

It’s a football Saturday, and Cal State Fullerton is playing host to San Jose State today in a homecoming game.

If you’d like to tune in to the action, you can turn your dial to KMNY 1600, the station of the Titans, and hear the play-by-play . . . .

. . . Of the Nebraska-Colorado game.

And if you’d like to enjoy the game in a sports bar, you can head a few blocks south of campus on State College Boulevard.

And have a drink at Vern’s Cornhusker Club and Subs Pub.

Fullerton long ago faced the fact that it will lose the battle for sports fans’ attention to USC and UCLA, sometimes even to the beach.

But to Nebraska?

Turns out campus is surrounded by the Fullerton bureau of Cornhusker country.

Today will be the third time this season that the Fullerton broadcast will be delayed. Radio announcer John Rebenstorf will go on the air at about 2:30, an hour and a half after kickoff and immediately following the conclusion of the Nebraska game’s live broadcast.

How is it that Fullerton gets bumped by a school half a continent away?

For the second year, a group called Californians For Nebraska has purchased air time from KMNY so that Nebraska games that aren’t nationally televised can be heard live on radio in Southern California.

That booster group is 15,000 strong, says Kent Briggs, the color announcer for Titan games. And how would he know?

A Nebraska graduate, he’s one of them, too.

The policy of delaying the Fullerton broadcast hasn’t resulted in a rash of complaints to Bob Gourley, KMNY station manager.

“In fact, there’s been more response--more letters and such--on the Nebraska games than the Fullerton games,” Gourley said.

As for the Cornhusker bar, owner Vern Stacy said its location has nothing to do with the Fullerton campus.

“They don’t have much pull,” he said. “They’re not a formidable opponent to anyone.”

The Cornhusker, which has been open about 4 years, is plastered with Cornhusker paraphernalia.

“We Can’t Cure Husker Fever,” reads one bumper sticker. “Bryan Memorial Hospital.”

On Saturdays the place fills up, especially on a day when the Nebraska game isn’t televised nationally, but Stacy manages to tune in on the satellite dish.

He’d rather not guess how many Cornhusker fans come in.

“I wouldn’t want to get in trouble with the fire department,” Stacy said.

Titan Notes

A solution to some of the athletic department’s financial troubles may be on the way. A student fee referendum that could contribute more than $400,000 to the athletic budget was proposed this week by the Athletics Council, an advisory body of faculty and students. The proposal, on which no action was taken, is to increase student fees by as much as $9 a semester, perhaps granting free student admission to home athletic events.

Cal State Fullerton (3-6, 3-2) and San Jose State (3-7, 3-2) play at 1 p.m. today at Santa Ana Stadium. What’s the motivation for these struggling teams? “Let me think,” Coach Gene Murphy said. “We could finish in second place (in the Big West Conference). If we win our last 2, and Fresno State loses their last 2, we could finish in a tie for first. . . . We’ll see what happens. We’ll see if the players get excited.” . . . Tailback Michael Moore (knee) and punter Jim Sirois (shoulder) will not play today and are probably out for the season. . . . Fullerton has used tight ends sparingly this season, more often going with three receivers. And with tight end James Noel out with a dislocated shoulder and no backup available, the Titans are not likely to use a tight end at all today.